


28 weeks later

by asamandra



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 28 Weeks Later - Freeform, Injured Clint, M/M, pining Bucky, team movie night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-21 13:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6053440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asamandra/pseuds/asamandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Clint is on a mission the team and Bucky watch "28 weeks later"... and the main character looks a lot like their missing archer...</p>
            </blockquote>





	28 weeks later

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MaldicionDeLuna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaldicionDeLuna/gifts).



> [This scene](http://asamandra.tumblr.com/post/139662958732/littleblueartist-show-me-a-hero-and-ill-write)

“Seriously?” Bucky sighed and let his head drop back into the cushions. “There’s another one?” They had just watched ‘28 days later’, a really bad movie with a guy waking up from a coma 28 days after everything went to hell in a handbasket. After getting Steve and Thor up to date on pop culture the Avengers have made it their mission to do the same with him, Bucky.

“Yep,” Tony grinned. “It’s called ‘28 weeks later’. However, I have to admit that I haven’t seen it, too,” he said, got up to go into the kitchen and came back two minutes later with two six packs of beer. He handed out the cans and grabbed a handful of popcorn.

“‘28 weeks later’. How creative,” he muttered but Tony ignored him and addressed his AI instead.

“JARVIS, start the next movie,” he ordered. Bucky looked at Steve for help but Steve was so busy with dealing with his can, his bowl of popcorn, a chocolate bar and his arm around Natasha’s shoulders, he didn’t even look up. 

“Why do you not want to watch this movie? The first one was amusing,” Thor asked and Bucky looked from one of the Avengers to the others. 

“Seriously? I mean…” he gestured at the huge screen, “Zombies?” 

“Technically they are not Zombies,” Bruce said with a shrug and took a sip from his can. Bucky frowned. He wasn’t sure if it was advisable to let a man with anger management issues drink beer and lose control even more. But no one said a word, Thor even clinked his can to Bruce’s. “They are infected with the rage virus. Zombies are…” 

“Okay, okay, I’ll be quiet and watch this… _movie_ ,” Bucky interrupted Bruce. He didn’t need a lecture about Zombies and those creatures. He sighed and this time Steve looked up and smiled. Unfortunately Clint wasn’t here. He had to admit he enjoyed these team movie nights more when the archer was here. He loved his snarky comments at the wrong time. But Clint was on a mission no one was allowed to know anything about. 

The first part was boring, people came back to London but then Bucky’s eyes almost popped out of his head and he sat up straight when he saw the actor who played this one soldier, Sergeant Doyle, on a rooftop, a sniper rifle in his hand. He raised both his brows because this guy could go as Clint Barton doppelganger. But he wasn’t the only one who saw it.

“Oh my god,” Tony muttered from his side of the couch. He sat there and stared at the screen as well and apparently he felt Bucky’s eyes on him because he turned his head now. “Is it just me or does this guy look a lot like our absent favorite archer?” 

“Well, there is a certain resemblance,” Bruce added. He had furrowed his brows and Thor stared at the screen, too, with his mouth open and a potato chip in his hand, stopped on the way to his mouth.

“A certain resemblance?” Natasha threw in now. “That’s the understatement of the year, Bruce.” 

“Well, I mean…” Bruce started again but stopped himself now. “Okay, he looks like Clint,” He finally admitted. 

“JARVIS? What’s the actor’s name?” Tony asked and the AI told him that Sergeant Doyle was portrayed by Jeremy Renner. “I need to check if the two are related,” Tony muttered and reached for his StarkPad.

Bucky ignored the genius, he stared at the screen now, didn’t want to miss a scene even if he knew that it wasn’t Clint but this actor. Of course, as he had assumed from the beginning when he had seen them, these annoying kids fucked it up and the virus was brought back to London, lots of people got infected and it all started again. And of course Sergeant Doyle was a true hero who tried to save the kids. Bucky was so glad when they found the car and he really hoped they would make it. He ignored Steve’s chuckle because he was so mesmerized, he wanted Doyle to survive, he wanted him safe and he wanted to… No! Don’t think about _that_. Not an option!

But then the car broke down. “No, no, no, don’t leave the car, don’t leave the car,” he mumbled quietly and bit his thumbnail desperately. Unfortunately Doyle didn’t listen to him, he got out, the guys with the flamethrowers came and he got killed. 

Bucky sat there and stared at the screen disbelievingly.

“They killed Clint,” Tony mumbled, taken aback. Steve sighed.

“It’s a movie. And this is not Clint,” he said but Bucky could hear in his voice that he was as affected as the rest of the team. Thor looked as if he wanted to summon his hammer every moment and Bruce furrowed his brows threateningly. And Natasha was unnaturally quiet and pale. They watched the rest of the movie in silence and afterwards Steve suggested to watch something funny. Tony recommended ‘The Big Lebowski’ and all of them agreed with him. Bucky didn’t know it but when Steve said it’s good, then it’s good. And Steve (and Tony) was right.

 

 

Later that night, when Bucky already lay in his bed in Steve’s guestroom, he couldn’t get the images of the movie character getting burned out of his head. The guy had really looked a lot like Clint and it was disturbing to see him die so horribly. But why did he bother so much? He had seen so many people die in the war or in his time as Winter Soldier. Why did this get to him so much?

 _Because he looks like Clint, asshat,_ the voice in his head scolded, the voice that always told him to talk to Clint like a normal human being. But once again he didn’t listen to said voice. He couldn’t. 

_Really? Why not? What’s keeping you away, coward?_ I’m not a coward, but I’m dangerous, I’m the fucking Winter Soldier, what if I get a flashback?

 _Flashback my ass! You haven’t had flashbacks in months. You’re just scared!_ I have flashbacks, shut up!

 _Nightmares, yes. Flashbacks? When did you wake up not knowing where you are the last time? When did you wake up and could only speak Russian the last time? When did you wake up with a weapon in your hand, aiming at someone, because you thought he was your enemy? When?_ Five months, two weeks, three days, twenty-two hours ago.

 _You’re a coward. Talk to Clint. Tell him about your feelings._ I can’t. I’m dangerous.

 _Coward!_ Shut up! 

Bucky sighed, rubbed his eyes with his fists and rose. He couldn’t find sleep, whatever he tried. Barefoot he padded into the kitchen, opened the cupboard, took out the can with the coffee, opened it… and found it empty. “Fuck,” he muttered and put it back. He turned around, leaned against the counter and squeezed the index finger and the thumb of his real hand against the bridge of his nose. 

“Are you allright, Mr. Barnes?” JARVIS asked quietly. 

“Yes… no. Probably not,” he mumbled. “Do you by chance know if there’s coffee in the communal kitchen?” 

“Of course. Sir ordered me to always have coffee in stock there,” JARVIS said. Bucky was not sure but he thought he heard an amused streak in his artificial voice. 

“Thanks,” Bucky said and nodded. He didn’t bother with shoes, barefoot as he was he shuffled to the elevator and rode down to the communal floor. It was empty, no one was around and JARVIS switched on the light as soon as he entered. He went to the kitchen, found coffee, put it in the coffee maker and switched it on. And then he sat down on the small table in the kitchen and waited for his coffee. 

“Guess you can’t sleep either,” he heard a voice and his head snapped around. Natasha stood in the doorway, looked as tired as he felt and finally came in and flopped down on an empty chair. Both of them stared quietly at the coffee maker for a while and when it stopped, Bucky rose, took two mugs, filled both of them and gave one to Natasha. He added a tiny bit of milk to the other and sat down again. 

Natasha took a long sip, put her mug down and looked at him. “You know you should talk to him eventually, tell him about your feelings,” she said then. 

“Talk to whom?” He asked carefully but he knew that she knew that he knew whom she meant. She just raised a brow and Bucky took a deep breath and sighed. 

“You’re an idiot, Barnes.” She emptied her mug, rose, put it in the sink and left the kitchen. 

_She’s right._ Shut up!

“JARVIS? How’s Agent Barton’s status?” He asked quietly. The AI kept quiet for a moment.

“The mission is complete and he’s on his way back to HQ,” he said then. “Agent Barton should be here in a few hours,” JARVIS added. 

“Is he… is he okay?” Bucky asked and JARVIS kept quiet again for a few seconds. 

“He’s alive but I have no data about his condition, yet,” the AI told him. 

“Thank you, JARVIS,” Bucky said, emptied his own mug and put it into the sink, too. He sighed and went back to the elevator, back to Steve’s apartment, back to the guestroom, back to his bed. Maybe he could find sleep now that he knew Clint was on his way back. 

 

 

He couldn’t find sleep. It was early in the morning when he got up again, went back to the communal kitchen and started to prepare breakfast for all of them. He remembered making breakfast for himself and Steve back in the days. He had to learn it because Steve’s food was inedible most of the time. The guy couldn’t even boil water without destroying half of the kitchen.

Slowly, one at a time, the Avengers came into the kitchen. Each apartment had its own kitchenette but all of them went to the communal kitchen for food (and company). 

Bucky had made a bowl of fruit salad and pancakes, he put various cereals, milk and yogurt, bagels and cream cheese and bacon and scrambled eggs on the table and of course lots and lots of coffee. And just when he had poured himself a cup and added milk he heard the ‘Ding’ from the elevator. 

“Sir, Agent Barton is back,” JARVIS announced and Steve jumped up from his chair, something he had never done before.

“Hey, Clint!” He called, left the kitchen only to reappear a few seconds later, shoving a pretty rumpled looking archer on a chair. Bucky saw a bandage around his arm, said arm in a sling, some band aids in his face and on his fingers and he groaned when he sat down. 

“You okay?” Natasha asked and looked at Clint warily, something she usually didn’t do in front of others. 

“Yeah,” Clint said and nodded. “My ribs just hurt a bit,” he added then.

“Ribs? Plural?” Tony asked, a frown on his face. Clint nodded and looked at his teammates strange behavior. But Tony ignored him, rose, went to the cupboard to get an empty mug. He filled it with coffee and pressed it in Clint’s hand. 

“Thanks,” Clint murmured. Bucky watched the scene, saw the team make a fuss about Clint and felt misplaced right now. He leaned against the counter and watched the Avengers with Clint, their friend and team member and he was left out, he wasn’t part of the team, he was Steve’s strange friend who used to hang around here in the tower. 

Bruce filled a plate with scrambled eggs and gave it to Clint while Thor spread butter on a toast before he shoved it over to him. And all of them looked somehow _guilty_. 

“Okay, what’s wrong? Did I miss something?” Clint huffed but he started to eat nevertheless. Bucky sighed quietly, grabbed his mug and left the kitchen. He didn’t want to be in the way. But he did miss the glance Clint threw in his direction only a moment before he left. 

 

 

“Hey,” Clint said behind him and Bucky startled. Only a tiny bit. The guy could move really quiet and that was disturbing. 

He sat on the balustrade on one of Stark Tower’s decks, looked out onto the city with his feet dangling in the air. It was his favorite place in the tower because usually no one came around and he could sit and watch the city and dwell on his thoughts. 

“Hey,” Bucky said as well but didn’t turn around. But only a few seconds later he saw a hand appear on the balustrade beside him. 

“I… I didn’t want to upset you,” Clint said quietly and leaned against the balustrade on one arm, the other one still in the sling. 

“You… you didn’t… what?” Bucky’s head snapped around and he looked at Clint incredulously. 

“I mean… every time when I’m around you vanish and… Is it something I did? Something I said? I don’t want to upset you… or make you uncomfortable,” Clint said. “But…” He sighed and Bucky looked away for a moment. 

“It’s…” He started. But he had no idea what to say. _Hey, Clint, you don’t make me uncomfortable, I just want to jump your bones._ Will you shut up already? He scolded the voice in his head.

“You don’t…” he said instead. “It’s not…” _God, you’re so pathetic! Tell him already!_ “I just…”

“Okay,” Clint said. “I’ll leave you alone.” He pushed himself off of the balustrade and walked away to the door.

 _That’s your chance. If you don’t talk to him right now he will think you’re a coward and you hate him,_ the voice nagged. “Shut up!” 

“What?” Clint turned and looked at him. Oh shit, he had said it aloud. 

“I… I didn’t…” he stammered and he wanted to slap himself right now. “I didn’t talk to you,” he said then. Clint frowned and looked around. _Great, idiot. Now he not only thinks you’re a coward but also that you’re a freak._ “I mean… I…” He stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

_You’re the fucking Winter Soldier. You’re a trained assassin, a spy and a super soldier and you act like a lovesick teenager, you can’t tell the man what you feel?_

“Don’t go,” he finally managed. “I…” _Do it for fuck’s sake!_

“Are you okay?” Clint asked and made a step in his direction. “You… you don’t look well.” 

“There’s something I try to tell you but…” he finally blurted but still didn’t manage to say _it_. 

“Yeah?” Clint looked at him, hopefully (?), and made another step in his direction. With his metal hand Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose again and bit his lip. His heart raced in his chest and his flesh and blood hand trembled.

“You don’t upset me or… or did or say something… it’s… it’s…” _Do it now!!_ “I… I like you,” he finally said, barely audible. And then nothing happened. When the silence became too hard to bear he dared to look up, expecting the worst but Clint only stared at him, open-mouthed. 

“What?” He whispered and Bucky’s heart sank. He shouldn’t have said something. He should’ve kept his mouth shut and… “I mean… what?” 

“I know you don’t….” he started but then Clint interrupted him with a finger over his lips.

“Look at me, Bucky,” he said. Bucky winced inwardly and it was really pitiful how he acted around Clint all the time. But he just couldn’t help himself, he really _liked_ the archer. “Bucky,” Clint repeated. 

And finally he looked up. Clint was close, very close and he scrutinized him for a long moment before he started to smile. He was close, so, so close. 

Bucky swallowed and opened his mouth but before he could say a word Clint stopped him… by kissing him. It was just a soft brush of lips against lips, a brief taste of coffee and mint and he caught his breath. Clint’s eyes bore into his when they parted but the words were caught in his throat. He could only… reach out, put a hand behind Clint’s neck and pull him in for another kiss, a longer one, a deeper one, a sensuous one, a kiss that lingered and made him moan. 

“I like you, too, dumbass,” the archer whispered when they had to break the kiss to pant for breath. 

“You do?” Bucky’s eyes went wide. Clint nodded.

“Yes, I do. But… I always thought you hated me because every time I was around you ran away.” 

“No, I…” he started but when he saw Clint’s grin Bucky smiled as well and he forgot what he wanted to say, he just closed the distance between the two of them and kissed Clint. Again.

**Author's Note:**

> [asamandra on tumblr](http://asamandra.tumblr.com/)


End file.
